TX State ParksAn independent field guide

Lake Tawakoni State Park

State park in Hunt County, in the Prairies and Lakes region. Established 1984. 376 acres.

A boater pushes off from the dock at Lake Tawakoni State Park in Hunt County, Texas, Unted States.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lake Tawakoni State Park covers 376 acres of oak forest and more than five miles of shoreline on a nearly 38,000-acre reservoir, about 50 miles east of Dallas. You can swim, fish for striped and hybrid bass, and rent kayaks from a self-service kiosk. TPWD notes that the park is known for the largest spiderweb ever documented.

Things to do

Fish

There's a four-lane boat ramp, a fish cleaning station and a kids' fish pond. Borrow gear at headquarters; no license is needed to fish from shore.

Paddle

Kayak rentals, including paddles and life jackets, are first come, first served at the self-service kiosk.

Hike and bike

Nearly five miles of trails run through the oak woods. The Blackjack Trail is the longest, at 1.5 miles.

A woodland hiking area in Lake Tawakoni State Park in Hunt County, Texas, United States.
Photo: Robert Nunnally from Allen, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0
The amphitheatre in Lake Tawakoni State Park in Hunt County, Texas, United States. The amphitheater is used for hosting a variety of events, including performan
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Eastern Pondhawk - Erythemis simplicicollis, Lake Tawakoni State Park, Wills Point, Texas
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0

Trails

TPWD counts about 5 miles of trails in the park. These are the named trails it lists, with its own distances and ratings.

TrailDistanceDifficultyTime
Farkleberry Trail0.5 miEasy15 min.
Osage Orange Trail0.8 miEasy20 min.
Red Oak Trail0.4 miEasy15 min.
Blackjack Trail1.5 miModerate2 hrs.
Spring Point Branch Trail0.1 miEasy5 min.
Spring Point Trail0.5 miModerate45 min.
Spring Point East Trail0.4 miEasy20 min.
White Deer Trail0.4 miEasy20 min.

Source: TPWD trail list. TPWD doesn’t list trail surfaces. Printable trail map (PDF).

Camping

Choose full hookup sites or sites with water and electricity, including two accessible sites, or the primitive group camp for up to 48 people.

Site typeSitesSleepsPer night
Full Hookup Campsites (30/50 amp)Full hookup168$24
Campsites with Electricity (30/50 amp)Water and electric168$22
Campsites with Electricity (30 amp)Water and electric448$20
Campsites with Electricity (Accessible)Water and electric28$24
Group CampGroup148$42

Nightly rates are on top of the daily entrance fee. Book a site with Texas State Parks reservations, or call (512) 389-8900.

Visiting with dogs

Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Like every Texas state park, they can't go into park buildings or designated swimming areas.

Swimming

Swimming is allowed in designated areas. There are no lifeguards at Texas state parks.

Best time to go

Busy season
Spring and summer
January low
30°F
July high
95°F
Rain per year
42.4 in.
Night sky
Bortle 4.5

TPWD lists spring and summer as the busy season and says the park often reaches capacity.

Averages and busy season from TPWD. The Bortle scale runs from 1 (darkest sky) to 9 (inner city).

Getting there

10822 FM 2475
Wills Point, TX 75169
(903) 560-7123

Open in OpenStreetMap (32.8419, -95.9937)

From the nearest cities in this guide
FromApprox. driveStraight line
Dallas1 hr 19 min45 mi
Tyler1 hr 25 min54 mi
Fort Worth2 hr 4 min79 mi
Waco2 hr 59 min113 mi
Austin4 hr 34 min204 mi
The Woodlands4 hr 42 min187 mi
Map of Texas showing where Lake Tawakoni isAbilene State ParkAlbert & Bessie Kronkosky State Natural AreaAtlanta State ParkBalmorhea State ParkBarton Warnock Visitor CenterBastrop State ParkBear Creek State ParkBentsen-Rio Grande Valley State ParkBig Bend Ranch State ParkBig Spring State ParkBlanco State ParkBonham State ParkBrazos Bend State ParkBuescher State ParkCaddo Lake State ParkCaprock Canyons State Park & TrailwayCedar Hill State ParkChinati Mountains State Natural AreaChoke Canyon State ParkCleburne State ParkColorado Bend State ParkCooper State ParkCopper Breaks State ParkDaingerfield State ParkDavis Mountains State ParkDevil's Sinkhole State Natural AreaDevils River State Natural AreaDinosaur Valley State ParkEisenhower State ParkEnchanted Rock State Natural AreaEstero Llano Grande State ParkFalcon State ParkFort Boggy State ParkFort Leaton State Historic SiteFort Parker State ParkFort Richardson State Park, Historic Site & Lost Creek Reservoir State TrailwayFranklin Mountains State ParkGalveston Island State ParkGarner State ParkGoliad State Park & Historic SiteGoose Island State ParkGovernment Canyon State Natural AreaGuadalupe River State ParkHill Country State Natural AreaHoney Creek State Natural AreaHueco Tanks State Park & Historic SiteHuntsville State ParkIndian LodgeInks Lake State ParkKickapoo Cavern State ParkLake Arrowhead State ParkLake Bob Sandlin State ParkLake Brownwood State ParkLake Casa Blanca International State ParkLake Colorado City State ParkLake Corpus Christi State ParkLake Livingston State ParkLake Mineral Wells State Park & TrailwayLake Somerville State Park & TrailwayLake Tawakoni State ParkLake Whitney State ParkLockhart State ParkLonghorn Cavern State ParkLost Maples State Natural AreaLyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic SiteMartin Creek Lake State ParkMartin Dies, Jr. State ParkMcKinney Falls State ParkMeridian State ParkMission Tejas State ParkMonahans Sandhills State ParkMother Neff State ParkMustang Island State ParkOld Tunnel State ParkPalmetto State ParkPalo Duro Canyon State ParkPalo Pinto Mountains State ParkPedernales Falls State ParkPossum Kingdom State ParkPost Oak Ridge State ParkPowderhorn State ParkPurtis Creek State ParkRay Roberts Lake State ParkResaca de la Palma State ParkSan Angelo State ParkSea Rim State ParkSeminole Canyon State Park & Historic SiteSheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning CenterSouth Llano River State ParkStephen F. Austin State ParkTyler State ParkVillage Creek State ParkWyler Aerial Tramway

Nearby parks

  1. Purtis Creek State Park34 miles away. $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free. Swimming allowed.
  2. Cooper State Park40 miles away. $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free. Swimming allowed.
  3. Tyler State Park48 miles away. $6 per adult, kids 12 and under free. Swimming allowed.
  4. Bonham State Park49 miles away. $4 per adult, kids 12 and under free. Swimming allowed.
  5. Lake Bob Sandlin State Park54 miles away. $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free. Swimming allowed.

Straight-line distance. See every park in the Prairies and Lakes.

Questions people ask

Can you swim at Lake Tawakoni State Park?

Yes, in the lake. There are no lifeguards.

How far is Lake Tawakoni State Park from Dallas?

About 50 miles east of Dallas, or about an hour and 20 minutes by car based on OpenStreetMap routing.

Photo credits

Sources

Last checked October 14, 2026. Fees, hours and rules change; the official TPWD page for Lake Tawakoni has current alerts and closures.

  1. TPWD: Lake Tawakoni State Park, retrieved October 14, 2026
  2. TPWD state parks map (amenities, contact), retrieved October 14, 2026
  3. TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Public Areas, retrieved October 14, 2026
  4. TPWD: Bortle ratings by region, retrieved October 14, 2026
  5. TPWD: Lake Tawakoni State Park campsites, retrieved October 14, 2026
  6. TPWD: Lake Tawakoni State Park trails, retrieved October 14, 2026
  7. TPWD: Lake Tawakoni State Park history, retrieved October 14, 2026
  8. TPWD: state park rules (pets, swimming), retrieved October 14, 2026
  9. Wikipedia: List of Texas state parks, retrieved October 14, 2026
  10. OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (approximate drive times), retrieved October 14, 2026
  11. Wikimedia Commons (photos), retrieved October 14, 2026